Top Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

I believe in the power of friendship. Not only casual friends, the kinds you hang out with, see around, but the kind that you bond with that impact you in a way that is unforgettable. I believe in love and laughter to keep us sane. Life is nothing without someone to share it with, someone to help remember the things you tend to forget. We all must travel a journey with, bumps, turns, road blocks, detours and here and there a few straight away strips, but no matter what, I believe that that road is best driven with a full car.

My best friend is a mess and I’m lost without her. We met in the fourth grade in Mrs. Dubin’s class when I first moved to Cave Creek. We clicked, and though the memories are fuzzy I remember her; bright blue eyes, fuzzy blonde hair, and a warm smile that made me want to be her friend. We sat together in class, at lunch and were usually seen together at recess. Everyone knew we would be partners in class, so nobody bothered to ask, and everyone also knew that neither of us would allow the other to get hurt. This type of relationship has carried on to this very day. We then lost touch over the summer, but quickly rekindled the friendship in the fifth grade where she distinctly remembers me singing a song in Italian in front of the entire class, and she recently told me that she thought I was weird. The best part, though, is that even though she found me to be odd she still re-befriended me, and we’ve been near inseparable ever since that day.

That year we realized we lived in walking distance from one another, and I remember learning the path through the neighborhood streets and walking that path multiple times a week. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the way to her house. I even find myself driving along the road from my house to her old house, just to feel the memories flood my head.

Nine years later, here we are about to graduate high school together. I cannot recall a significant moment in my life since that innocent year in elementary school that does not involve her. Whether she was there to support me in a hard time, making a memory with me, causing my problems or simply being by my side, she has been a part of my life and I hope she always will be. No matter how different we become or how the same we used to be, I will always remember her.

We have gone through hell and back, both personally with the help of the other and also with our combined friendship. Separately, I believe we are both disasters waiting to happen, but together, we’re beautiful disasters, bound to fall apart, but always there to pick up each others pieces and mend broken hearts. We’ve changed as people often do but I still believe because of her that nobody can live alone, because…well what’s the fun in that?

Essay of the Week

When she was young, Lauren LeBlanc had grand dreams of living in New York and singing on Broadway. Instead, she became a mom and schoolteacher in suburbia. While it’s not the life she once imagined, LeBlanc now knows she wouldn’t have it any other way. Click here to read her essay.